Inc.'s 10 Most Popular Stories of 2012

Nicole Marie Richardson is the executive editor for special projects at Inc.com. She manages the website's largest projects, including the Inc. 5000, an annual list of the fastest-growing, privately-held companies in America.

Entrepreneurs are arguably the most time-strapped group of the workforce--but, not surprisingly, you take the time to read Inc. for advice, inspiration, and relevant news.

Which Inc. articles were the most popular--and, presumably, the most useful, provocative, or thought-provoking for business owners--this year?

We pored over data to retrieve the articles with the most traffic, social shares (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+), and comments, and tossed in a little bit of editorial judgment to guarantee variety. Here's the list of your Top 10 favorites in the last 12 months (not strictly in order).

9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People The most successful people approach work differently than most--but those techniques can be learned, and mastered. In this article, Jeff Haden recommends several proactive mantras that promise to put you on that path to success. No wonder this article shot to Inc.'s No. 1 most-trafficked.

5 Toxic Beliefs That Ruin Careers This passage in The Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament inspired sales guru and author Geoffrey James: "As a man believes so is he." (23:7) In the column, James describes the five beliefs that consistently make people fail. This story was among the top three shared across all social media.

6 Habits of True Strategic ThinkersColumnist Paul J.H. Schoemaker warns that leaders can't be the strategic thinkers a company needs if they're busy micromanaging. The sentiment resonated with readers, who not only clicked this Inc. article more than most any other (except one), but also shared it on Twitter more than 13,000 times.

Listening to Complainers is Bad for Your BrainTurns out there's a good reason you don't like complainers: Listening to too much complaining is bad for your brain in multiple ways, reports columnist Minda Zetlin. Need a solution? Zetlin has three that helped launch this Inc. article to the No. 4 most visited.

7 Things You Are Doing Wrong on LinkedIn LinkedIn, says writer Tom Searcy, is the No. 1 social media platform for professionals. Estimates of professional participation are as high as 83%. No wonder readers flocked to this article about all the mistakes they're making there. It was one of the most shared Inc. articles, particularly on LinkedIn, with more than 13,000 shares.

Business Etiquette: 5 Rules That Matter NowEtiquette may seem stodgy and pretentious, says Eliza Browning, "but the concept of etiquette is essential...and particularly in business." Knowing names (duh!) and sending thank you notes may seem like common sense--but many readers were surprised by Browning's other suggestions. More than 11,000 people Liked the article on Facebook.

True Secret to Success (It’s Not What You Think)Sales expert Geoffrey James prescribes a regimen of nightly practice and reprogramming of the brain to get you on track to business and life success using a single emotional muscle: gratitude. This message resonated on Google+ more than any other.

3 Interview Questions That Reveal EverythingInterviewing job candidates is tough, says author Jeff Haden, especially because some candidates are a lot better at interviewing than they are at working. So he gives you just three questions to help you extract the core information you need about a candidate. This article was shared 10,000 times on LinkedIn.

Your Desk Is Making You StupidColumnist Jessica Stillman reports that when you sit all day "electrical activity in the muscles drops…leading to a cascade of harmful metabolic effects," including decreased memory. But Stillman has tips to get you unchained from your desk--and more likely to have a creative breakthrough.